In 2006, Arts Council England published Turning Point, our 10-year strategy for strengthening the visual arts in England.

Based on the findings of an in-depth analysis of the visual arts, it pointed towards a vibrant, talented and dynamic sector that had experienced a period of significant growth over the previous decade and a half. It also presented a number of recommendations for building activity and capacity to make the visual arts infrastructure more sustainable and to enable the sector to develop further.

Following a restructure of the Arts Council's national office in the same year, a new arts strategy department was formed and in June 2007 a new visual arts team was recruited with the task of delivering Turning Point. SInce then, the team has been working with the regional colleagues on a number of initiatives that have been laying the foundations for the strategy's full implementation. We are committed to delivering Turning Point in its entirety, and have made strengthening the visual arts one of the key development priorities in the Arts Council plan for 2008-2011.

In the next three years, the work we will undertake includes developing a stronger infrastructure to support artists and arts organisations; encouraging growth of regional collections of contemporary art; creating a blueprint for developing sector skills; and building partnerships with a range of national bodies and our regularly funded organisations to maximise opportunities for everyone to experience great art.